Monday, November 24, 2014

I
decided to do this project because I was interested in how different
cultures would interpret each other's mythological characters. For this
project I chose how the Aztec would interpret the Japanese Kitsune or
fox spirit. Kitsune are magical foxes that wield fire and can change
shape at will and are frequent characters in Japanese mythology.
However, I did not want to stop there. I also wanted to comment on how
modern technology effects these myths so I decided to create a modern
day Aztec interpretation where the figure is back lit and the ring is
motorized. This is a commentary on how modern day technology has largely
robbed ancient mythology of almost all the power and influence it once
had.

Brittany Katz

Bones

2014

sheet metal, metal rods, chain, sweat, and tears
26"x 7"x 23"

I wanted to explore the concept of interpreting a biological
subject in man-made material. I personally enjoy bringing fictional
creations into reality and wanted to use this particular subject to
illustrate mans penchant for for interfering with and recreating nature.
The result is often beautiful and effective but somehow incomplete
Which is what I wanted to illustrate with the bare and simple form of
the animal.

Monday, November 17, 2014

Habitual behavior very often shapes our lives in subtle ways. We don't always notice the little things we do, but they add up over time and become a part of our identity. The path we take in life is shaped by the people and the experiences that we encounter. This piece explores implied boundaries and subtle restrictions. It records the common path the viewers take as well as the unique diversions from the path.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Aocheng Shi

Good Night

2014

Spring Steel

8' x 3 x 5'

No matter where I am, one thing that is dispensable is bed. My half life is shared by myself and others, but the rest is given to my bed. When hanging out in an unknown city at night, I always imagine what are those people who are in dream doing, whether they are happy or not during their dreams. Actually, the bottom layer is similar to a map or a river surrounding a city. Like a dream in mind. The material that I chose is spring from my bed mattress.

Friday, November 14, 2014

"∞" means infinite. It represents a kind of continuous form which is similar to the understanding of time, space, even life. However, nothing is forever. In China, as the saying goes “天下无不散之筵席”（All good things must come to an end）. The black lines intervene into the system of these "∞"s in order to stop it. As for my work, this is what I want to express that there is only two options for anything, pause or advance.

A perspective sculpture I have installed on campus in front of the Art building. From the right point of view a pile of dirty shapes can be something beautiful. I personally dedicate my life to positivity and find it's important to focus on the good and see the true charm of life even if you might not see it at first.

I consider this piece experimental. As I've developed an increasing interest in typography, I wanted to create a phase out of bailing wire to focus on calligraphic techniques and the basic structure of letters in their grittiest form. The entire sculpture is one long piece of bailing wire, bent and shaped and hung on the wall to produce interesting shadows. I created the phrase "Hide nothing from Time for Time sees all hears all and exposes all making Time the wisest counselor", meaning that time will expose exactly what one is meant to do in with their life.

Sunday, November 9, 2014

This piece is based on the idea that after your time on Earth, if you did something wrong, you are reincarnated as an animal. It was said that after people were reincarnated they were treated very poorly by humans around them and were ultimately decapitated at the end of their lives. The animal heads were made to resemble some of the reincarnated humans. They were constructed entirely out of newspaper and covered with masking tape lending to the fleshiness of the animals. The heads were also intentionally laid on the ground as if they were just cut off and that is where they rolled.

For this piece, I originated with the idea that cave paintings were one of the earliest forms of communication and expression within a community. I noticed that the writing and doodles on the desks particularly in Recitation 101 were achieving a similar level of expression representative of a modern community. Bringing the two concepts together, I made letters out of wire and branded my findings into the commonly known shape of a student desk hung in a way that forces the viewer to look up close and experience the smell of the burnt wood. The anonymity of those carving into the desks resulted in mostly vulgar forms of expressions and cries for help.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

In an attempt to play around with uniform multiples still in a cohesive form, I created The Fragmented She-Deamon. This piece is a self-portrait in its exploration of the dark side of myself; the side that is my black, armored shell, trying to take all of my pieces and form them into the structure that should define me. Whether I am attempting to escape from the earth or am getting sucked back into it, both the grotesque and ambiguous as well as the floral feminism in me are represented.